Pondering the Sunset
by Amarthame
Summary: Hiei leaves Mukuro for good, not telling her of his departure. [Oneshot. HieiMukuro.]


**Series:** YuYu Hakusho

**Pairing(s):** Hiei/Mukuro

**Summary:** (Set after the end of the series.) Hiei leaves Mukuro for good, and doesn't tell her.

**Disclaimer:**_YuYu Hakusho_ and all related characters, etc. are property of Yoshihiro Togashi.

**Other Notes:** This came out much shorter than I had hoped. Hopefully, the quality might make up for it. Please review, and tell me how badly this is written. Flames will be used to kill small, furry animals.

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Mukuro looked out of the window, wincing at the bright Makai sun. The large orange sphere was setting behind a horizon of endless trees. It marked the end of daylight, the beginning of night. The demoness sighed lightly. She had not seen Hiei since early that morning, when the sun was still only half-risen. Though, she wasn't concerned.

He had disappeared like this before, for reasons Mukuro did not know. But he always returned. So there was no reason to think he wouldn't this time.

She looked at the forest spreading out before the window, musing that Hiei could be out there. He could be just sitting in a tree. She lingered on the thought, then let it go.

Mukuro pictured the fire demon's arrival: He would walk down the hall into Mukuro's room and seat himself in a chair.

"You're back," she would point out.

"I am," he would reply.

He wouldn't yield any other information, and she wouldn't ask. Such was the trust their relationship was built on. Neither ever spoke of this connection, but both understood.

Hiei's normally piercing glare softened as he looked at her. This demon that had known only exile, not love or acceptance, could find it in his heart to let her be close. The acceptance he could not feel before, he found with her.

Around him, Mukuro was hardly a cold-blooded warrior. She had lived through such abuse before becoming as powerful as she was. Around him, none of that was of importance, and she did not need to act of her status. She felt warm.

This balance was understood well by Mukuro. She knew that there was love between her and the fire demon, and knew that Hiei knew the same. She was glad for this, as it meant that Hiei would return to her welcoming arms. And so she would carry on her life, and let him return whenever he so wished.

Hiei watched the sunset from his tree. He did not know how far he was from Mukuro, and tried not to care. He did not intend to go back there. He did not know what he would do if Mukuro sent anyone out to find him, but he would deal with that when the problem arose. For the time being, he was content in the definite fact that he would not return.

He knew that she treated him differently, and he knew how he treated her. She had kept a place in his heart, and he felt a certain affection reaching out from her to him. He was well aware of the feelings connecting the two of them, and they confused him.

Love and trust of this sort were beyond what Hiei had learned during his life. He was unsure of where this path was leading him, and he hated that.

Over the course of his life, he had always had a destination. It was once his birthplace, then where his sister was, and so on. When he knew where he was going, he stepped onto a path that would take him there. By remaining with Mukuro, he had stepped onto a path blindly. This, he was certain, was unwise.

He and she had only recently realized the feelings they had for each other, and Hiei was determined to take things no further than that. He was angry at having let himself get close to her to begin with. The contentment of being with her had kept him from realizing that.

And, even while he was not sure where he would go now, he decided that he could do nothing better than finding another path... One with purpose.

He convinced himself that he would forget her, and rid himself of his feelings for her as well.

Mukuro kept watching the sunset. The sun had dipped nearly entirely below the horizon now. She smiled, wondering how long Hiei would be before he returned once more.

She didn't know that the fire demon, whom she would likely not see again, was staring at the same sunset. He had a neutral look on his face, convinced that he would not think about Mukuro.

And then the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Mukuro left her window, and Hiei left his tree.

And the sunset connecting them broke, leaving a thin thread between the two. And even that would disappear.


End file.
